Finding The Best Freelancers For Your Business
Any successful small business is bound to outgrow the capacity of its existing team at some point, particularly if that team comprises solely the business owner. When this time comes, you must determine the most feasible options for expanding your capacity in a manner that will allow for continued growth and will not prove detrimental to the financial health and reputation of your business. Essentially this decision will come down to two options: employees or freelancers.
Opting to outsource, rather than to hire staff, is a cost-effective decision that can save you both time and money, while also allowing you to avoid the paperwork, tax and legal obligations that are part of taking on an employee. Employers have a legal obligation to offer employees holiday pay, maternity leave and other rights mandated under employment laws. While these employee rights are certainly appropriate business practice, small ventures do not always have the resources to support such an arrangement. Establishing relationships with a number of experienced freelancers can provide you with a fully flexible workforce without the ties and costs of an employee so you can focus on growing your business and developing your business ideas.
Working with freelancers has many more advantages.
- An employee will expect to be paid at the same time each month whether you have used their services or not. A freelancer is of course only paid for the work that they do, so there are certainly circumstances where a freelancer would be more cost effective.
- Using freelancers allows you the flexibility to upsize or downsize your workforce as and when you wish. This affords you a very agile business that can adapt to its workload and changes in the direction of your business ideas.
- If your business ideas necessitate new skills not present in your organisation, you won’t need to spend time and money training your staff: simply find a freelancer who already has the skills.
- As freelancers are more like consultants than subordinates and are often very skilled in their fields, they may also be able to provide you with opinions and insights on your business and business ideas, though you may wish them to sign a confidentiality agreement before you go giving away all of your business ideas.
However, before you dive headlong into the freelance market to find the perfect person to take your work and assist you in expanding on your business ideas, there are also a few disadvantages to consider.
- A freelancer, by their very nature, may not always be available when you need them because they will not be working solely for you. This can be a particular hindrance if you have business ideas in development or a client that needs attention and the freelancer’s availability necessitates pushing back your deadlines.
- Another point to consider is the rather singular motivation to do a good job – money. Of course there are freelancers out there who do the job simply because they love it, but typical employee motivators like pay rises, promotions or the chance to take on greater responsibility are not open to freelancers, so they simply do the job they are paid for. This can result in reduced creativity or dedication, and in some cases quality.
- Related to the last point, it may well be difficult to ensure consistency or quality when using different freelancers, or even the same freelancer over a period of time.
Fortunately there are good freelancers out there who could negate these issues, believe in your business ideas and are self-motivated professionals with whom you can build the foundation for an ongoing relationship. Here are three essential steps that will assist you in finding the right freelancers to suit your needs:
- Create a thorough job brief – Outline exactly what you are looking for in a freelancer prior to your search. Consider which skills and what experience are most important to you and note which areas, if any, you are willing to be flexible on. This document can then be used for you to impersonally select the best freelancer for the job, and for them to understand what is expected.
- Interview potentials – They may only be your outsourced resources, but you will rely on them for their dedication to the timely completion and quality of your work, so they actually hold a very important role in your business. Interview them in much the same way that you would interview a potential employee (not face to face, but through emails or over the phone) to discover their strengths and weaknesses and their true experience, and to get a feel for whether you can trust them with the responsibility of looking after your work.
- Start with a trial assignment – Before you hand over too much responsibility, give an untried freelancer a small assignment to ensure that they are a good fit for your company, your business ideas and ideals. How they do on this assessment should determine whether you stick with them or continue your search.
Expanding your business and having the time and resources to develop your business ideas is essential to your success. By following these few tips to find the right freelancers for your company, you will be able to acquire the additional assistance you need without the expenses and obligations that come with hiring employees.
An injection of new skills to expand upon your business ideas and plans with minimal responsibilities and commitment on your side: what could be better for a small venture looking to find its feet in the business world?
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